And Jesus taught the crowd and his disciples on the mountain,
- Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
- Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted
- Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land
- Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied
- Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy
- Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God
- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God
- Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
- Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.
The Sermon on the Mount is the most extensive documented sermon of Jesus with the utmost significance, revolutionary teaching that cannot be overstressed. It requires believers to react in the opposite spirit and surrender their rights.
The eight Beatitudes are known as the octave of kingdom music. It describes the character and nature of the kingdom and who could enter. It particularly expresses Christ character of obedience led by the Holy Spirit who also shapes the moral character of believers.
An attitude is a fixed set way of thinking. The change from a bad attitude to a good one often is a process requiring patience and persistence. Woundedness that caused attitudes that is contrary to the kingdom’s principles e.g. attitudes that are hard, aggressive, defensive, vindictive and hypersensitive are in need of healing.
The Beatitudes are the door to spiritual, mental and emotional health and happiness. The word "Blessed" expresses the godly characteristics of:
- A broken spirit
- A penitent spirit
- A mild-tempered and gentle spirit
- A hungering and thirsting spirit for righteousness
- A compassionate and merciful spirit
- A pure spirit
- A spirit of wisdom and meditation
- A longsuffering and forgiving spirit
The first Beatitudes is the precursor to the rest which summarizes them all. They all speak of simplicity, seen in honesty, lowliness and poverty (humiliation) of spirit. These are also the very keys to success.
Being poor in spirit means being free from the clutches of material wealth and be dependent on God. We are called to die to self – self-denial, self-sacrifice, and self-discipline. Pride is the root of all sin while poverty of spirit is the root of all virtue. None has got it all together and all need help.
To mourn means to be repentant, penitent and tender-hearted towards self-action and the actions of others e.g. sins of the church, the unsaved, and injustices in the world. To mourn also means that I am hurting but I will get back up on my feet. When bad things befall good people they grow into better people. God is their comfort, courage, and calmness.
The meek means those who are mild-tempered with a gentle spirit, have goodwill towards others and are reverently obedient to God. Meekness is a phenomenal silent power! Meekness is a characteristic of a strong person who constantly surrenders his rights to God. The super lamb!
Hunger and thirst meant intense desire – for righteousness in the Lord i.e. to say and do what is right according to God. Being filled and satisfaction of life can only come from a right relationship with God.
Merciful means compassionate; responding towards the unfortunate with loving-kindness When a person is abused or mistreated, the law of proportional return tells us to respond with mercy and forgiveness.
Pure in heart involves the mind, emotion, and will. It requires the conversion and sanctification of the heart through the gospel and the scrutiny of motives and the hunger and thirst for truth.
Peacemakers mean a spirit of wisdom and mediation i.e. reconciling and building a bridge between groups and persons who are in conflict with each other. One must make peace with oneself first before becoming a peacemaker.
Being persecuted for righteousness sake describes those who have a longsuffering and forgiving spirit who are spiritually mature with high tolerance level. We must remain true even at the threat of our lives. Hurts borne silently, forbearingly and positively can be turned into positives.
Written by Aloy L. An Evangelist, Author, Speaker. He has served full-time in Christian ministries, built businesses on scriptural principles and rigorously trained in biblical counseling and psychotherapy. His calling and mission are to preach good tidings. bind up broken hearts, proclaim liberty and the opening of prison doors, declare the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of God.
